The magical thread of Fate
by fire-onnagoddess
Summary: Syaoran and Eriol are the most popular guys in school. They’re also on the football team. Sakura and Tomoyo are the best cheerleaders and singers in the school. The whole school thinks they should go out, but they hate each others guts. Or, rather, Sa
1. A Not So Brief Introduction to the New

Yet another story idea! Sorry, guys, but updates could be slow, because I am not a person with lots of free time. During summer, I have summer school, to get an extra credit, and I'm on the Air Riflery Team, so I get to spend an hour shooting at a piece of paper. Anyway, here's the full summary:

Syaoran and Eriol are the most popular guys in school. They're also on the football team. Sakura and Tomoyo are the best cheerleaders and singers in the school. The whole school thinks they should go out, but they hate each others guts. Or, rather, Sakura and Tomoyo hate Syaoran, who hates them back, but Eriol's an enigma. AU, everything's a little different, except the age differences set in the books. S + S and E + T all the way! With a few problems, of course.

The Magical Thread of Fate

Chappie 1: A (not so) brief introduction to the new Tomoeda

"Yo, Sakura, wake up! You've got classroom chores today, remember?" Kero was right in Sakura's face.

"HOE!" Sakura sent Kero flying. "Kero-chan, don't scare me like that! Wait a minute, did you say class chores! I'M GONNA BE LATE!" Getting her uniform on as quickly as possible, run downstairs, get some breakfast, and put her rollar blades on. "I'm going now!" She called to her father and brother as she went to school as quickly as possible. When she got there, she quickly changed into her school shoes and put her roller blades in her locker. Running up the stairs, she paused in front of her classroom door.

"Oof! Stupid balloon! Can't you stay put? Next year, I am not getting all of them a balloon! They'll have to settle for one between the four of them . . ." She heard someone muttering inside the classroom. She opened the door and saw the _least_ popular girl in the school that Syaoran sometimes hung out with.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked, walking in.

"Getting ticked off at these stupid inventions . . . oh, I didn't realize who I was talking to. I'm . . ."

"Kakuo, Hikaru. Everyone knows about you."

"They do? Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have joined the team . . ." Hikaru started muttering to herself, and Sakura couldn't help but giggle. "Huh? What's so funny?" The confused look on Hikaru's face made Sakura giggle even more.

"Everyone knows you as . . . the least popular . . . in school." Sakura was laughing now. "But, for being so unpopular, you . . . you're really funny!"

"Why does everyone I actually get around to talk to say that?" She looked frustrated. "First those four, then their stupid younger brother, then the entire family, now you! Ugh, this isn't my year!" That comment made Sakura laugh even harder. Hikaru rolled her eyes, steered Sakura to a seat, sat her down, and started doing some of the class chores. When Sakura sobered up a little, she started doing the chores as well. Then Tomoyo came bursting in, face red with rage.

"The nerve of him! I am not going to walk with him to school! I won't even . . ."

"Spend two little minutes talking to me?" Eriol walked in. "Oi." He walked over to Hikaru, who stopped, but didn't turn around. He put his fist on her head. "You're short."

"I AM NOT SHORT!" She turned around and yelled, face big, body small, you know how it goes. All three people shrank away from her. "And why are popular people talking to me? If this is one of their stupid tricks, I am so not sleeping over this weekend." She muttered, wiping the board.

"You're not bailing this weekend. Sisters' orders. You know they'll hunt you down, and then blame me for not keeping you on a leash." Li walked in.

"You're sleeping over . . ."Sakura started.

"At HIS house!" Tomoyo finished.

"Oh, Why isn't anyone leaving me alone today! I just wanna crawl into my dark corner and live an unimportant life, no big attention or anything! Jeez, is that that hard to ask for! This is all your fault, Xiao Lang!" Hikaru pointed a piece of chalk at him. Eriol ducked.

"Watch out, Syaoran, she's got a weapon." He whispered. Hikaru glared at him. Next thing the boys new they were outside the classroom, the door slammed shut behind them.

"Stay out until lunch! And leave me alone!" Sakura and Tomoyo were looking at her wierdly. "Worst day of my life. Wait a minute, that was ten years ago. Second worst day of my life." She muttered to herself as she cleaned homeroom.

"Oh, sorry! I'll help!" Sakura got up and did her chores.

"Man, I don't get it. First Trimester went by so fast, and I never noticed how cool you were." Hikaru sighed.

"WHY ME!"

"Ms. Kakuo. Ms. Kakuo!" The teacher slapped a yardstick on Hikaru's desk, effectively waking her up. "Now that you've properly joined us, the principal has requested you go to his office. He says to take all of your things with you."

"That time already? Wait, it's only 12. What?" She said sleepily. Sakura and Tomoyo looked worriedly at her; Eriol and Li were shaking their heads.

"The Principal's office. Now."

"Yes, ma'am!" Hikaru gathered her stuff and zoomed out of the classroom, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was in the hallway. The last two rows could still see her, including S, S, E, and T. (Sorry, getting lazy) They leaned back to get a better view. Hikaru stood there with her mouth agape.

"You weren't supposed to go to school today. You were supposed to help . . ." He stopped, closed the door, and escorted her outside. The class didn't get to see who it was. "You were supposed to help setup for tomorrow's concert." He finished.

"Oh, that's why I was having a bad day. But, I had cleaning duty today, and I have to be there after school!"

"That we can arrange. You're excused for being late, by the way." He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. She caught him, and looked the other way.

"Why did you pick me up? Aren't you afraid you'll get recognized?" They were almost at the car. Ordinary looking, but cool red convertible.

"Nobody recognized you without the foundation. Why would they recognize me? I'm careful not to dress the way I do onstage." They got in, him driving.

"That doesn't tell me why you picked me up." She looked over at him. Since the roof was down, she had her hands in her lap to keep her skirt from flying up. He didn't look over at her; instead, he kept driving until they arrived at a studio. Hikaru was angry by then. "Hello! Why . . ." He leaned over and kissed her square on the lips. Hikaru's cheeks turned bright pink. After a moment, he pulled away. "Oh . . ." There was an awkward silence.

"We should go in and get ready." He stated.

"Hey." Hikaru said, making him pause as he got out. "Are we gonna . . . are we gonna do that . . .onstage?" She asked, looking at her feet.

"I . . .I'm not sure. If our managers say to, then we'll have to." He cleared his throat.

"I'll . . . I'll see you later, then." She got out of the car and walked quickly past him.

"See ya, Hikaru." Her name rolled off his tongue. Shaking his head, he walked in after her, but went down a different hallway.

-School-

"You're dismissed. Report back in one hour and we'll resume class." Everyone rushed out of the classroom to lunch.

"I wonder why she had to leave early? Man, do I have to clean up after school all by myself?" Sakura huffed.

"I'm sure she didn't mean to abandon you, Sakura. Haven't you noticed that sometimes she leaves school early?" Tomoyo cheered Sakura up.

"Yeah. And this morning, it was so weird, it was like she was really cool. But, she doesn't seem to want to be popular. I wonder why?" Sakura thought aloud.

"That's exactly what we've been trying to find out." Eriol popped up out of nowhere. The reaction to his appearance was two slaps, one from each girl.

"Wasn't asking you!"

"Seriously. I've been trying to figure it out ever since my sisters brought her half alive to the house ten years ago."

"What do you mean, half alive? Don't joke about stuff like that!" Sakura was close to exploding.

"No joke. I remember coming home, and there was all this rain and thunder outside. It was so wet outside, and Mother said my sisters were still out. She was going to have me look for them when they appeared, dragging a girl with them. She was covered in burns, bruises, and lots of blood and soot. She didn't regain consciousness until a week later, and even then it was only for a few minutes. My sisters said her house was on fire, but I don't know anything else. She comes over on the weekends, but I think my stupid sisters know something and are blackmailing her to come."

"And where was this? There hasn't been a storm like that in Japan for a long time." Tomoyo wasn't happy.

"Hong Kong, where I was born. Didn't you know? Hikaru used to live in Hong Kong until ten years ago." Li gave Sakura a look, and she glared at him before turning on her heel and stormed off, Tomoyo on her trail.

"You seriously don't know anything else?" Eriol asked, a mysterious tone in his voice.

"Nope. Everyone else in the family seems to know, but nobody will tell me. Wait, don't tell me you know, too!"

"I know a little bit about an event that happened ten years ago, but I don't know if it concerns her. Let's bug your sisters this weekend. Oh, and did you hear about the concert this weekend?"

"Concert? . . . No way, you don't mean . . .?"

"Big Bang and Goth Goddess, baby! They're doing a combined concert tomorrow. Goth Goddess is so hot, isn't she!" They were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't notice Sakura and Tomoyo glare at them.

"I sooooo hope they don't plan on going to that concert!" Sakura grumbled.

"You know, I didn't get tickets from mom. And they're probably sold out by now . . ."

"And those two jerks are going to rub it in if we don't go. We need to come up with a plan to go to the concert!"

"Yeah!" So they put their heads together and started brainstorming. Sadly, no light bulb blinked for them, so they returned to their classroom at the end of lunch pretty down.

-Later-

"Kinomoto! Sorry I'm late!" Hikaru came into the classroom a few minutes after school ended. "I got tied up in something, and . . . and time flew by so fast, and . . . um, is something wrong?" She noticed Sakura and Tomoyo were looking kinda down.

"A really cool concert, and Tomoyo's mom couldn't get tickets, that's what! Life is sooooo cruel!"

"For Big Bang and Goth Goddess?" Tomoyo and Sakura gaped as she took out two tickets. "I don't need these, so you can have them!" She smiled. They just gaped at her for a second, then slowly took the tickets.

"No way . . ." Sakura started.

"Prime seats! Way cool! How did you get these?" Tomoyo and Sakura looked at her expectantly.

"Oh, I, uh, I got them from a friend who's gonna be out of town, so she didn't need them, that's all. And, besides, I can always watch it on TV later." Someone opened the door to the classroom.

"You got half an hour before dad gets here." A boy told her, then walked out.

"I thought I was walking today?" She leaned out of the door and called after him.

"Nope. Dad wants you to eat dinner with us tonight. See you later." He waved.

"This was all part of your plan, wasn't it? Fine, I'll be there. Just tell the Li sisters why I'm not coming."

"Taken care of already!" He walked down the stairs.

"What was that about? Was he your brother or something?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, no, he's my landlord's son, that's all. Usually, I come over to their place on Wednesdays, but I wonder what's up?" She started cleaning, humming a tune. Sakura was working too, but she and Tomoyo recognized that tune.

"You listen to Goth Goddess, don't you?" Hikaru froze.

"Uh, yeah, sometimes. That's my favorite song, and it's always stuck in my head." She continued cleaning.

"Are you sure you don't want these tickets?" Tomoyo asked.

"Quite sure! It's all right, don't worry about! I hear there's going to be a big surprise tomorrow, and I think all of the popular people should get to see it."

"What's the big surprise?" Sakura and Tomoyo asked, really interested.

"Dunno. It's gonna be big, from what I've heard." She shrugged.

"By the way, how old is that guy? Your landlord's son?" Sakura asked.

"Who, Dante? He's a third year over at a private school. Why?" Hikaru was blushing, but she wasn't facing the two girls.

"That's quite a catch you have, Miss I-don't-want-to-be-popular." Sakura teased.

"What do you mean! He isn't going out with anyone!"

"The way you two were flirting, and the way you talk around him, you sooooo like him! And he seems to like you!" Tomoyo caught on.

"That's not true! I . . . we weren't . . . we aren't . . ." Hikaru stammered.

"Well then, it's only a matter of time, before he asks you out!" Sakura said cheerfully. Hikaru's face was beet red now.

"I, uh . . . I gotta go. His dad should be here by now, so I . . . yeah, sorry to have to bail, but . . ." She grabbed her things and ran out to the car waiting outside.

"Yep, she likes him." Sakura smiled.

"And you know what that means!" Tomoyo beamed.

"If they don't get together by this weekend . . ."

"Then we step in and push them together!" Tomoyo finished for Sakura.

"Operation Matchmaker has begun! Hikaru Kakuo will have a boyfriend and will be elevated to popular status by next week!" Little did they know that making her popular would also put Hikaru's life in danger, as well as their's.


	2. The Li Birthday Party

Disclaimer: Don't own CCS. Wish I did, but I don't. ok.

The Magical Thread of Fate

Chapter Two 

The Li birthday Party

Hikaru opened her locker, face still red. She stared at it for a while before she registered what she saw. "Oh, shit, I forgot! The party! Hey, wait a minute, I don't need invitations, they need me there to procedd... Hmm . . ." Hikaru thought evil thoughts. "I know!" After taking the balloons and invitations (one for her, the other for Dante), Hikaru ran back up to the room. "Here, take these. I think you'll have fun. Li has to host his sisters' birthday party, so I bet you'll see him. I don't need an invite to get in, cuz they know better than to question me by now. See you tonight!" she said hurriedly before running out again.

"I wonder what she means?" Sakura and Tomoyo opened the cards. Inside was a really pretty card.

_You are invited to the Li coming of age party, celebrating the 22nd birthday of the Li daughters._

"Huh. Hikaru had four balloons. And earlier she said 'those four'. I'm confused. Oh, well, I guess we should go." Sakura said. Tomoyo had an evil grin.

"She said that Li had to host, right? Where ever Li goes, Hiiragizawa is sure to follow. I say we . . ." Tomoyo started whispering in Sakura's ear her plan, making both of them smile evilly.

"Yes, I think that's perfect! We should wear . . ."

Later

"Yo, Kinomoto, Daidouji! You ready?" Hikaru hollared from a limousine.

"Comin . . . Whoa!" The two had run out of Sakura's house at her voice and were surprised at what they saw. She was wearing clothing to Li's ceremonial clothes, except the colors were black with red border, and a symbol on her back was in Chinese, written in golden print. "That is . . ."

"Unexpected." Tomoyo finished.

"You know, the girls are gonna make you change. The entire Li clan is showing up, as well as close friends. Oh, but that was a good idea. Xiao Lang and Hiiragizawa are going to freak when they see you two show up . . . especially in those outfits." Hikaru invited them into the Limo, and once inside, they noticed Dante, a man, and a woman. "Ok, introductions. Kinomoto, Sakura and Daidouji, Tomoyo, you saw Dante earlier today." They said hello while Hikaru batted the balloons away. "And these are his parents, my landlord, Dmitre, and his wife, Attella. Now, can we please get going and get this over with? I want to get out of these as quickly as possible. No smart comments from you, Dante!" Hikaru sat next to him, and anticipated his response. He just pouted.

"Come now, Hikaru, darling, you have a duty to uphold, and there are ceremonies that are part of tradition that you must watch over." Attella pointed out.

"I know, I know. Seriously, there should be a rule that you can't do it until you're 18, even if nobody else qualifies."

"Why don't you're parents do . . .whatever it is you have to do?" Sakura asked. Hikaru shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

"They passed away ten years ago. I had to take over all of their duties, including presiding over Coming of Age Ceremonies, no matter the Clan. In a couple weeks, I have to go to Hong Kong to host the Fu clan." Tomoyo and Sakura started to understand the situation Hikaru's was in, but she left out quite a bit of information. I'll get into that later.

At the Li mansion

"Jeez, Syaoran, your family is huge! Or rather, I have a lot of descendants." Eriol remarked.

"Shut up! At least I only have to deal with my sisters, and not Kinomoto."

"You spoke too soon. Now, that has got to be the sexiest outfit I have ever seen." Sakura had stepped out of the limo, followed by Tomoyo.

"How the hell did they get invi . . . oh, great." Li started muttering in Chinese. Hikaru had stepped out, followed by Dante and his parents. Hikaru had changed her manner into a dignified one, so much that Syaoran was reminded of his mother. As Hikaru walked into the room, everyone hushed, and a path was made to the four sisters, who were standing in a semi-circle, ready to greet her. Attella held the balloons. Hikaru led the mini-procession down the pathway to the Li sisters and bowed. Everyone followed suit, but bowed lower than Hikaru. After Hikaru straightened up, they waited a few seconds before straightening up themselves.

"Daughters and Li, Yelan. I present to you classmates. Kinomoto, Sakura and Daidouji, Tomoyo." The two greeted the four sisters, amazed at how they look alike. "And my landlord, his wife, and his son." They greeted the sisters as well, but were already familiar with them. Hikaru turned to face the Clan. "My name is Kakuo, Hikaru. The name given to me at birth is Xing Fu Ki, and I am of the Ki Clan. I am here to preside over the following ceremonies and insure they go smoothly, and traditionally." Hikaru was speaking in Chinese, so Sakura and Tomoyo couldn't understand a word she was saying. She continued.

"Dude, did she say she was from the Ki Clan?" Eriol whispered to Syaoran, who nodded slightly. "Ok. It looks like I'm not here for fun, after all. I think I know exactly who that girl is." Syaoran shot him a look, but didn't say anything. After her speech was over, everyone began chatting again, and the sisters rushed over to Tomoyo and Sakura.

"Oh, Xing Fu, you shouldn't have brought such cuties!"

"Oh, Aren't they adorable?"

"Her hair is the perfect length . . ."

"Girls, why don't we go to the suite. I'd like to be in something more comfortable!" Hikaru poked one of them. They herded the three girls into the back, leaving Dante and his parents. Yelan followed her daughters. Attella put the balloons down somewhere and started making rounds with her husband. Dante followed them obediently.

In the Suite

"I think this color would match her pretty eyes . . ."

"How about this hairstyle, doesn't she look cute?"

"This dress, it has the perfect cut!" Hikaru left the girls to the torture of the quadruplets and went into a room, shutting the door and leaning against it. She smiled to herself.

"So far, so good. I hope they don't try to crash the ceremonies. But, even if they do, that's what I'm here for. Besides, every person here has at least some real magic, except for Daidouji. Her magic is the magic of friendship and relation. She'll keep Kinomoto going. Besides, I think Keroberos decided to take a ride in her bag. I'm sure Yelan already noticed him." She changed into a Qipao that was black with red trim. The designs, flowers at the bottom and falling along the slit, were also in red. Hikaru let the red streaks in her black hair (red, the color, unnatural looking. And I mean it, it looks RED). Her hair, she let flow loose down to her hips. Now, the slit went as high as you dare to let it, without showing any undergarments. Therefore, you can assume that she was showing a lot of skin. On both sides. Yes, the slit is on both sides.

_When were you planning on telling me that you were reincarnated?_ Hikaru heard a familiar voice in her head. She laughed.

_I told you before you created the card with my power. And you said nothing about reincarnating yourself. Did you split into two, Clow?_

_Yes. That's why Kinomoto is the Cards' new master. Her father is my other reincarnate._

_Does Xiao Lang know?_

_He knows about me, but not about Kinomoto. I figure the look on his face will be priceless when he finds out, so we'll let him wait a little longer._

_You are a troublesome one. One tip, though: If you want Daidouji, go ahead, but be careful and don't get her life in danger. She's not as . . . resistant to certain magics as we are._

_Yeah, yeah. If I really wanted her, I'd have her by now. It's fun playing with her and making her absolutely angry. _Hikaru didn't want to hear any more, so she cut off the link in her mind.

"Watch out, Daidouji, he's beginning to like you, and once he gets desperate enough, good luck resisting him. The two of you, as well as Kinomoto and Xiao Lang . . ." She let her thought trail off as she left the room, and, seeing the girls still dressing up S + T, she decided to find Yelan. Knocking on her suite door, she opened it and walked in, closing it behind her.

"Good evening, Keroberos. I didn't think I'd get to meet you again. And I didn't think you'd be so . . . little so I can squeeze your head now!" Hikaru squeezed his head until he got away, hiding behind Yelan. "Awwww, come on, Keroberos, I've wanted to do that ever since Clow created you!"

"Who are you, anyway?" Kero was clueless.

"Oh, yeah, the seal. I always forget that nobody can really sense me. Fine, I am currently known as Hikaru Kakuo, but my birth name is Xing Fu Ki, of the Ki Clan."

"Wait a minute, Ki, Ki . . . I know! You're Kai! Kai the Fire Queen!" Hikaru smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"All of the others are gone. They weren't able to protect themselves, and if it weren't for Yelan's daughters, I wouldn't be here, either. I've been training with the Li Clan, but I still attend to the duties of the Ki Clan. This place is safe, for now. Now, why don't you change into your true form and surprise everyone?"

"Yes, Keroberos, that would be a splendid thing to do!" Yelan agreed.

"Uh-uh, Sakura would get angry at me. She doesn't know I'm here, but Tomoyo does."

"Keroberos, does Kinomoto know about Yue?" Hikaru's eyes were on the wall in the direction of the party.

"Of course she does! She's the Master of the Cards now! Why wouldn't . . ."

"They followed him. Have everyone be on guard, they'll probably attack during the first ceremony." Hikaru ran out of the room. She went out to the crowd and searched for someone. She had only been out for a little bit when someone bumped into her, making her fall.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Here, let me help you." It was Yukito. Hikaru shook her head and stood up.

"I'm fine. I was actually looking for you, Yue." Yukito gasped.

"H-how did you know . . ."

"Not you, too! I thought you, of all people, would be able to sense me, even through the Seal. Or, you'd at least recognize me!" Yukito looked lost for a minute.

"Are you . . . Kai Ki?" He asked slowly.

"I was. In this lifetime, my birth name is Xing Fu Ki. I'm here to preside over the ceremonies, since my parents are gone." She was smiling like it was nothing. "Of course, my Japanese name is Kakuo, Hikaru. And yours?"

"Tsukishiro, Yukito. Have you seen Sakura?"

"She's back there. She and Daidouji wore these really neat outfits to scare Xiao Lang and Hiiragizawa, and now Xiao Lang's sisters are dressing the two up. Oi!" Someone had wrapped their arms around her waist. It was Dante.

"Do you remember every single name at this party?" He asked, smiling at her.

"Do you remember every title of every song you've every written?" She threw back. He sighed.

"There's too many names, and they're all Chinese!" Hikaru laughed.

"Tsukishiro, this is Dante, my landlord's son. Oh, they're so cute!" Sakura and Tomoyo had finally gotten something on, and the sisters looked pleased. Sakura had an emerald green Qipao that was just like Hikaru's, and Tomoyo's was the same, except it was deep purple. "Now, time to look for some Odangos. There she is! Mei Ling!" Hikaru got the girl's attention by waving, and she came bouncing over, tugging a boy along.

"Xing Fu! That was a great speech earlier! I've never seen you act like that! It was awesome!" She kept going on in Chinese, and Hikaru smiled.

"And who is this that you've dragged along?"

"This is my boyfriend, Ping. Ping, this is Xing Fu Ki, and she's here as Presider. Here comes Xiao Lang! Xiao Lang! Over here!"

"So, we've all gathered. Although, Kinomoto's father really should be here. He'd be safer here, where we can offer protection from the Qin." Hikaru's eyes were glazed over.

"The Qin, are they . . .?" Mei Ling left the question hanging.

"Yes, they're here. They want to finish the job they started ten years ago. But they're too late. They should have finished me off on that day. Power grows over the years, and I've had ten. Xiao Lang, Mei Ling, pass the word. Everyone is to be on guard, especially during the first Ceremony. Make sure everyone is prepared for a full-out attack. I need to talk to Kinomoto." She walked over to the girls.

"Kinomoto, Daidouji, I need to speak with the two of you. Yelan?"

"Use my suite. It took some convincing, but he finally agreed." Hikaru nodded, and led the two girls to Yelan's room. Sakura went in first.

"Kero, what are you . . .!" She clamped her hand over her mouth and tried to hide Kero from Hikaru.

"Keroberos, can you sense them?" Hikaru asked, surprising the two girls. He nodded.

"They're hitting the shield full force. I've never felt so many this close. Is Yue aware?"

"I found him. Everything should be fine, until the break the barrier. Everyone is prepared, though, for a fight. Kinomoto, you'll have to use the Cards to protect Daidouji and your brother."

"H-how do you know about the cards!" Sakura stared at Hikaru.

"That's a long story. Maybe another time. Don't be afraid to use the cards; the entire Li clan is aware of their existence, seeing as they are all descendants of Clow Reed, the cards' creator. Keroberos, you and Yue should make your presence known soon. Maybe, they'll let up, and leave me alone." Kero changed back into his temporary form.

"Hikaru, what are those red streaks in your hair?" Tomoyo asked.

"Rank strips. They always come out of their own accord when there's a ceremony I have to preside over. Are you ready, Keroberos?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. You've got a lot of explaining to do when this is over." Hikaru smiled, but it disappeared as soon as they left the suite. Once outside in the crowd again, Hikaru clapped her hands three times for attention. Yukito walked towards her and stood on her left, while Kero was floating on her right.

"Descendants of Clow Reed, and one of his reincarnates." She addressed the crowd. "I present to you the creations of Clow: Keroberos and Yue!" Their wings surrounded their bodies as they took on their true form. When the wings parted, the crowd gasped and bowed, except for Eriol. Hikaru smiled at him. "Reincarnate of Clow Reed. I presume you created another pair when you awakened?" Eriol smiled his dark smile.

"Release." He released his wand and changed. Nakuru, who was hanging on Touya, took her place beside Eriol, and Spinal came out of nowhere. "Reveal your true form. Spinel Sun, Ruby Moon!" His dark voice, of course. They changed into their true forms. Yue and Kero were shocked.

"Never since the death of Clow Reed has a Coming of Age Ceremony been complete. Now, it is full, with the entire clan, Clow Reed's reincarnate, a new master of the cards, and four creations of Clow. But now, as you have heard by now, this Ceremony will not go without interruption, because," She turned to face a wall on the other side of the mansion. "someone decided that they wanted to finish what they started ten years ago, not realizing the amount of power that has gathered here." Her tone was harsh.

"I am fully aware of the might of the Li clan, as well as the power of Clow Reed. Now, it's time for you to die like you should have ten years ago!" A figure appeared out of thin air at the wall Hikaru was facing. Someone shouted "Qin!"

"I challenge you to a duel, Qin Master. No Magic. Swords only." She said bravely. He just laughed.

"Xing Fu Ki, a mere child, you wish to challenge me to a duel? Without you're magic? How brave. Very well, I accept your challenge!" He floated down to the floor as a path was made for the fight. Hikaru summoned a katana as he summoned his sword. Swinging it around to test it out, she finally took her battle pose, stiff as a statue. It was similar to the Li martial arts, except she had a sword in her hand. He took a simple pose, sword held out, tip aimed at her. Everything was still for a long time.

"What's the matter, Penta? Afraid of a little girl that you couldn't kill when she was totally defenseless?" Hikaru taunted, not leaving her stance.

"Shut up!" He came at her and swung a deathstroke, but before it touched Hikaru, she disappeared. There were murmurs around the room. She reappeared behind him.

"Boo." Her back was to him, but she disappeared again before his blade touched her. This time she had jumped into the air. He went after her and swung again, but she just bent back and it passed harmlessly by her. This time she retaliated by swinging her sword, and she ripped the flesh of his stomach. She landed on two feet and regained her stance, waiting for him to come at her again. He didn't land so gracefully, and was clutching his stomach. "It's not like you to be so weak. Or so slow. What's the matter, afraid of me? Or are you afraid of all of the power in this room, pressing against you, draining your power slowly from your body?" She was taunting him.

"Shut up!" he came at her again, full speed. Instead of disappearing when he swung, she hit his sword in a parry, and kept swinging, forcing him into a defensive crawl backwards, towards the wall. He saw the anger in her eyes, and the controlled movements, but there was no pattern that he could follow and predict.

"What's the matter, Penta? I cut your stomach and you become a pathetic mess? I think you rely on your men too much, and when you're by yourself, you're nothing more than a helpless dog." The clan snickered at his weakness. He scowled and disappeared, reappearing near an exit.

"This isn't the end, not yet, Xing Fu Ki! You will die, I promise you!" He disappeared.

"Prepare yourselves! 200 Qin are outside, breaking the shield!" Hikaru yelled, and every Clan member had some sort of weapon appear, or they entered a fighting stance. Hikaru let her sword disappear, and jogged back over to Sakura. "Be prepared to use The Shield card when they come in. Stay inside of it, and don't come back out until they are all gone. Yue, Keroberos, keep them safe, and make sure that you don't get killed yourselves. Penta was too weak, there had to be something wrong with him already. Or...Well, I don't want to think about that. Hiiragizawa!" he smiled at her and cocked his head to the side.

"Don't worry about me. We'll be fine." Hikaru nodded. She continued directing the others.

"Hikaru is really responsible, isn't she?" Sakura asked Tomoyo, who nodded.

"You really can't blame her." Eriol smiled at them, staff still out. "She's upheld her family's duty for ten years now. She hasn't been able to be a child." Tomoyo had to admit, he looked really good in that outfit with the staff in his hand. His attention was suddenly directed elsewhere, and Sakura felt a presence. There were gasps as Hikaru doubled over.

"Don't come near me!" She gasped out, struggling to breathe. "If you value your life, you'll keep away!" Dante leaned near her, then backed away as her body became very hot. She stood up slowly, twin kodachi in her hands. "They've broken the shield! Prepare yourselves!" There was a roar coming from the outside, and dark figures appeared out of the air, dropping among the crowd, only to be shredded. There was a circle around Hikaru, since the heat coming off her body was unbearable to those nearest.

"I wonder what she's planning on doing?" Kero asked, crouched protectively near Sakura and Tomoyo.

"Knowing her, something dangerous." Eriol frowned. He had cast a magic circle around them, so nothing was getting through to them. More figures started appearing, and they started appearing above Hikaru. Any that got within five feet of her caught on fire, and if they dared to get any closer, they were shredded mercilessly. Sakura caught a glimpse of her eyes, and was scared. She saw unmasked anger, and it looked like her eyes were on fire.

"Hiiragizawa, what kind of magic does Hikaru have?" Sakura asked, shaking. He only smiled.

"If she wanted you to carry the burden of knowing, she would tell you herself. It's not my place to reveal things like that." He was still worried about her behavior, though. He had never seen her this angry before. And even if she was, she never let it out. Not like this. There was now a radius of twelve feet between her and the members of the Li Clan.

And then she was thrown back by an invisible force and landed against a wall, unconscious, and her body temperature seemed to be normal. Sakura ran to the girl and reached her at the same time as Dante. He checked her pulse and let out a sigh. "It looks like they finally threw the entire shield right back into her body. That would explain why not many of them appeared at first. But also . . ." He felt her forehead and frowned.

"What's wrong with her? She doesn't look too good." Dante smiled at her.

"She's just got a slight fever from the power slam. I'll tell mother and father to not let her leave the house for a few days. We should probably . . ." He wasn't able to finish his sentence because she woke up.

"Don't you dare . . . finish that sentence." She gasped out, trying to breathe. He grinned.

"As long as you take it easy. No more fighting, and I mean it." She smiled somewhat weakly at him.

Later

After the attack was over, the Ceremonies began, and they went smoothly. Hikaru was proud of the sisters, and congratulated them, both formally and informally. Syaoran had went over to Eriol's mansion to escape the screams of all of the girls. Sakura and Tomoyo couldn't sleep, they were so excited about the concert, so they were both at Tomoyo's mansion, trying on outfits and talking about nonsense. Around 1 in the morning, Hikaru lay down her head in Dante's lap as they drifted off to sleep in the car. His parents smiled at them. The Li mansion was quiet after about 3 in the morning.

And then, at 6 in the morning, all hell broke loose. (omg, I've wanted to say that forever! But yeah) Over at the concert stage, reporters were swarming the area, and everyone was rushing to get everything set up. At Tomoyo's, the girls were still trying on clothes (they went to sleep around 3) and figuring out what makeup to wear. Eriol and Syaoran were also trying to find the perfect outfit. People all over Tomoeda were making preperations for the big day. And the Li sisters went through the final, quiet ceremonies with their mother to prepare for marriage. And then, when they were done, they rushed to get ready for the concert. Even Yelan was excited.

And I end the chappie here. Good luck waiting for the next, my regular comp (Which I have decided to be the home of the next chapter) hasn't arrived yet (I moved, by the way), so everything's been done on a seven year old laptop whose fan no longer works and sound chooses when it will engage. I'm ok, though, it's been nice to me so far. Oh, yeah, and it has to be plugged into the wall for it to even turn on anymore. Gateway batteries from 7 years ago aren't that good. Anyway, please review!


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